1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a flexible printed circuit board connector for electrically connecting a flexible printed circuit board.
2. Related Art
As shown in FIG. 4, a conventional flexible printed circuit board connector for electrically connecting a flexible printed circuit board comprises a male connector 32, having spring terminals 31, and a female connector 35 which is provided with the flexible printed circuit board 33, and has an opening 34 for receiving the terminals 31 of the male connector 32.
The flexible printed circuit board 33 is placed on the female connector 35 to cover the opening 34, and then the terminals 31 are pushed into the opening 34 through the flexible printed circuit board 33, and are contacted with the flexible printed circuit board 33.
As shown in FIG. 5, inner side surfaces of the opening 34 in the female connector 35 are flat, and a guide portion 36 (see FIG. 4) for guiding the male connector 32 is formed at a longitudinal end of the opening 34.
The male connector 32 includes a male connector casing 37 made of an insulating material, and the plurality of terminals (terminal plates) 31, corresponding to the number of poles, are mounted in the male connector casing 37. Integrally formed at a rear end of each of the terminals (terminal plates) 31 is a tab terminal 38 for electrical contact with a third connector (not shown).
The terminals (terminal plates) 31 are provided at the front and rear sides of the male connector 32. The front end portion (in a connector-inserting direction) of the terminal (terminal plate) 31 is folded back, and with this construction the terminal 31 has suitable resiliency in a direction of expansion of this folded-back portion (for example, in a right-left direction in FIG. 5), and its contact portion projects from the male connector casing 37.
When the male connector 32 is inserted relative to the female connector 35 in such a manner that a guide projection (not shown), formed on the male connector casing 37, is registered with the guide portion 36 of the female connector 35, the contact portions of the terminals (terminal plates) 31 of the male connector 32 press the flexible printed circuit board 33 against the inner side surfaces of the female connector 35, so that the terminals (terminal plates) 31 are electrically contacted with contact portions of the flexible printed circuit board 33, respectively.
However, in the conventional flexible printed circuit board connector, for example, when the ambient temperature abruptly changes, the dimensions of the parts vary as shown in FIG. 6, and therefore an expansion-contraction load acts on the flexible printed circuit board 33, so that an excessive bending motion develops in the flexible printed circuit board 33 because a flange portion 39 of the male connector 32 abuts against this board 33.
As a result of repetition of this bending motion (indicated by arrow B in FIG. 6), a repeated bending stress develops in that portion of the flexible printed circuit board 33 held by the flange portion 39, which leads to a possibility that conductors on this portion 33a are cut.
This invention has been made in order to solve the above problem, and an object of the invention is to provide a flexible printed circuit board connector in which a trouble, such as the cutting of conductors on a flexible printed circuit board by expansion-contraction due to an ambient temperature change, is prevented.
The above object has been achieved by a connector of the invention for a flexible printed circuit board comprising a male connector, having spring terminals, and a female connector which is provided with the flexible printed circuit board, and has an opening for receiving the terminals of the male connector, wherein the flexible printed circuit board is placed on the female connector to cover the opening, and then the terminals are pushed into the opening through the flexible printed circuit board, and are contacted with the flexible printed circuit board; CHARACTERIZED in that a gap for allowing the movement of the flexible printed circuit board is provided at the male connector.
In the flexible printed circuit board connector of the present invention, the terminals, provided at the male connector can have such resiliency as to allow the movement of the flexible printed circuit board.
In the flexible printed circuit board connector of the present invention, even if the flexible printed circuit board repeatedly expands and contracts when the ambient temperature abruptly changes, a bending load will not act in a concentrated manner on one portion of the flexible printed circuit board since the flexible printed board can move, and therefore the cutting of conductors on the flexible printed circuit board is prevented.
In the flexible printed circuit board connector of the present invention, there are provided the gap for allowing the movement of the flexible printed circuit board, and besides the resiliency of the terminals of the male connector prevents the flexible printed circuit board from being held in undue restraint, and therefore the risk of cutting of the conductors is avoided more effectively.